In the United States, a curriculum vitae is used when applying for academic, education, scientific or research positions. A curriculum vitae can also be used to apply for fellowships or grants. In Europe, the Middle East, Africa, or Asia, employers may expect to receive a curriculum vitae rather than a resume. Make sure you choose a curriculum vitae format that is appropriate for the position you are applying for. If you are applying for a fellowship, for example, you wont need to include the personal information that may be included in an international CV.

Look at the format of your curriculum vitae, and again, ask someone else to take a look. Is there plenty of white space? Is it cluttered? Is your formatting consistent (bold, italic, spacing, etc.) and is the overall picture that your CV provides a professional and polished one?

It can be tempting to over-polish a CV and make our educational qualifications or work history sound a little better than they are. If you are tempted to stretch the truth about your work history - dont. It will come back to haunt you. Most employers conduct reference and background checks, and if your curriculum vitae does not match your actual work history or education, you will most likely get caught at some point, and you will either not get the job or will get fired if you have already been hired.